


in sickness and in health

by orphan_account



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Cuddles, F/M, Sickness, generalized cuteness, movie day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 16:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5135018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which Blue Sargent wakes up sick and is forced to stay in bed all day while Gansey keeps her company</p>
            </blockquote>





	in sickness and in health

Before she even opened her eyes, Blue could tell she was ill.

It was the type of illness she could feel in her entire body. She was sweating underneath her blanket, her bones ached, her stomach churned, and her head- oh God, her head. When her eyes first opened, she blinked a couple times and squinted at the sunlight that filtered into her room. Even a tiny sliver of light seemed blindingly bright.

A low groan escaped her lips, and she threw her arm over her eyes. She kicked back the bedding with her legs, the pain of the movement soon rewarded as the cool air brushed over her bare legs. 

She remained like for a few minutes before the feeling began. It started in her stomach and it rose in her throat. She barely had a moment to register before she was sick in the trashcan next to her bed.

The wave of sickness was over quickly, but as she leaned back against the headboard, sweat lining her forehead, she didn’t feel any better. Few times had she ever felt so miserable.

There was a soft knock on the door, so soft that for a moment, Blue thought it was Persephone. Then, she remembered that her beloved friend was gone. Her voice was raspy and quiet when she spoke, “Come in.”

Maura Sargent stepped into the room, the door closing behind her with a click. She walked over, sat on the bed, and placed her hand on her daughter’s forehead before announcing, “You’re sick.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Blue said, her voice lacking a mean tone.

Really, she didn’t understand how. She had been feeling completely fine last night, even when she had spoken to Gansey at three in the morning. Her illness came from seemingly nowhere, which was quite unfortunate considering it was Saturday and she had a million things to do, including Glendower discussion and work.

It seemed as if she would have to miss out on everything today.

“I’ll be back,” her mother said. She disappeared from the room, returning two minutes later with a thermometer, ice, medication, and water. She took Blue’s temperature and made a diagnosis. “101.4. So, you’re running a fever, you’re vomiting, and you generally look like hell. You have the flu.”

The teenager groaned again. “I feel like hell,” she said, sitting up. Her mother forced her to lay back down again, and she began to whine, “Mooooom, please. I need to take a shower and brush my teeth and change the sheets on my bed.”

“Okay, but at least take some medicine and drink a glass of water right now,” she said, forcing the pills and the cold glass into her hands. Water beads hit her palm, icy and wet on her already clammy hands. But she did as her mom asked and swallowed the pills, gulping down the water. “Go clean up. I’ll change your sheets for you.”

“Thank you, Mom,” Blue said, placing her hand on Maura’s. She was met with a concerned smile.

“I’ve been away for far too long, and I’m your mother, I’m supposed to be here when you aren’t feeling well. You don’t have to thank me,” she said, kissing her daughter on the forehead.

Blue closed her eyes and smiled. “I love you. I’m glad you’re home again.” Then, she stood and left the room.

She returned to her bedroom thirty minutes later with fresh breath, damp hair, a towel wrapped tightly around her body, and a ghost in her room. “Noah,” she said, glancing at the smudgy boy sitting on her newly-made bed. His eyes were wide open, as if he hadn’t expected her to be in nothing but a towel. He quickly covered his eyes and turned his back to her, a motion that was entirely too quick.

“Sorry,” he yelped. Something about this made her laugh. She changed quickly, only putting on clean underwear and a grey t-shirt that was way too big for her, falling to her mid-thigh. She lay on her bed, thankful to feel so clean and fresh, even though she was still miserable and sick. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Noah asked, taking in her pale face and her tired eyes.

“Mom said I have th’ flu,” Blue slurred, her accent more apparent than usual. Despite the fact that five minutes prior, she had been standing under ice-cold water due to the heat that overwhelmed her body, she was now freezing. She cuddled under all the blankets on her bed, but it wasn’t enough.

“Oh. I forget what it feels like to be sick,” he said. That was reasonable. Ghosts didn’t get ill. At least, Blue didn’t think so. “Gansey was wanting to call you. He claims to have a brilliant idea, but he didn’t know if your family was using the phone.”

She thought for a moment. “I don’t care if they’re using the phone. I need to call him, anyway, to tell him I won’t be able to make it this afternoon. Could you please get the phone from Orla? If she asks, just tell her that I’m very ill and that it’s the least she could do for a young girl who is suffering,” she said, being every bit as dramatic as possible.

A grin flickered on Noah’s face, and then, he was gone. Two minutes later, he was back with the phone in his hand. Blue smiled and dialed the number she now knew by heart. 

Gansey answered on the second ring. “Hello, Jane! I’m so glad you called! Did Noah tell you about my idea? It’s absolutely brilliant, and I think you’ll agree once you hear it. I know that there has been a lot going on ever since we found your mother and your father and all that, but the timing is actually quite perfect and...” he rambled.

“Gansey,” Blue said. 

He stopped talking. “Are you all right? You sound odd.”

“I seem to be sick,” she said, looking down at her fingers. The blue polish that Orla had painted her nails with was chipping. “I’ve been confined to resting in bed all day. I’ve already taken three different medications and been mildly chastised about drinking water.”

“Blue Sargent? Resting in bed all day? More like being restless all day. I cannot imagine that you’d enjoy such restrictions,” Gansey said.

“It’s a doleful existence, to be honest,” she agreed. Noah snickered. She was beginning to sound so much like Gansey, and she didn’t even realize it. “But I’ll survive. Since I can’t leave my bed, though, our plans for later will have to be cancelled.”

“That’s quite all right, Jane,” he said. There was a knock at her door, and Orla shouted that she needed the phone. “I sincerely hope you feel better soon. I also hope that you are well enough for company because if you’re going to be so dolorous, you shouldn’t be alone. I’ll see you in a bit.”

She didn’t even have the chance to speak or protest to this; he had already hung up. Part of her did want to see him, but she did not want for him to see her like this-- flushed, tired, and aching. She didn’t really have a choice in the matter, though, because he appeared in her doorway fifteen minutes later with blankets, movies, a laptop, and yogurt cups. In that moment, he looked like a knight who had come to rescue a princess. Sadly, he wasn’t going to be rewarded with a kiss.

“Oh my God, you are my hero,” Blue said, eyeing the yogurt, which he placed on the nightstand next to a glass of water.

“I couldn’t let you suffer in peace, but I did bring some necessities. Blankets and movies are obviously needed. My mom used to make me chicken noodle soup when I was younger, but I didn’t know if you liked it, plus I assumed you would like yogurt better considering you basically live off of it, which can’t be all that healthy, but I won’t lecture you about that now because you’re sick and...” Gansey trailed off, seeing the amused expression on her face. “I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

She shook her head, smiling. “No, you’re fine. I don’t mind it. Though, I am excited for the movies... What did you bring?” He handed her the films, and she sorted through them: The Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, The Princess Bride, and Legally Blonde. “Ah! You have pretty much all my favorites! You know me so well.”

The corners of his lips twitched into a smile. “I’m guessing Noah didn’t want to stay for the movies?” He asked, the blankets still piled in his arms. 

Blue glanced to the spot next to her, which was now empty. She hadn’t even realized Noah had left. “I, uh, guess it’s just the two of us,” she replied. Gansey remained standing. “You can sit down. I wouldn’t say I’m not contagious, but I probably am, and you already made the risk of infection by deciding to come over, so...”

Finally, he sat next to her. “I hardly ever get sick. And even if I do, that means we can be miserable together!” He joked, earning a laugh from Blue. The laugh was short-lived, though, as a shiver overtook her. “Oh, you’re cold.”

She nodded, pulling her blankets tighter. Gansey draped two more blankets on her, two incredibly soft and warm. She moved until she was bundled into the blankets for maximum heat and coziness, which was perfect until the she realized she couldn’t move her arms to eat. She tried to remain positive and think about how eating could possibly made her sick again-- a sight she definitely did not want him to see.

“What movie would you like to watch first?” He asked.

“Legally Blonde, please,” she replied. And so, that was the movie he loaded on his laptop. Elle Woods soon appeared on the screen in all of her confident and magnificent glory. 

Ten minutes later, as Elle nursed her broken heart, Blue became thirsty and saw that the blanket burrito arrangement wasn’t quite working out for that. She kept glancing at the glass of water sitting on the nightstand next to Gansey, trying to figure out a way to get it without untangling herself. She was too busy thinking to realize Gansey was already reaching for the glass and bringing in to her mouth.

“Oh,” Blue said softly. She placed her lips on the edge of the glass and he tipped it back slightly, letting her take a drink. She pulled away a few moments later. “Thank you.”

He smiled in response and placed the glass back on the nightstand. 

The two of them resumed watching the movie. Eventually, the heat caught up with Blue and she began to shed the blankets one by one while Gansey made comments about the film.

“Why is everyone so mean to her? She’s a lovely young lady who is very optimistic and kind,” he’d say. “They treat her like she has the mental capacity of a child, and that’s rather insulting.”

Blue would nod along and remove another blanket.

“Jane?” Gansey said, his eyes glued on the screen as Elle walked to a party in a playboy bunny costume. “I don’t understand all about feminism. Does feminism support the wearing of revealing clothes or not? Because I’ve heard some note the sexualization of women, especially when it comes to costumes.”

“Well, when girls talk about sexualization, they’re talking about how they’re viewed only as sex objects that exist purely for the benefit of men. I find that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wearing sexy costumes or wearing clothes that show more skin. If a girl is comfortable with her body and wants to wear it, it’s her body so she can do as she pleases,” Blue explained. “There are a couple problems, though. One is that most Halloween costumes are totally impractical and sexual, which wouldn’t be bad except that’s all that exists. Men, on the other hand, generally face less of this issue. Another problem lies in men. When a girl does choose to wear such clothing, they stare and cat-call and all that. That’s how sexualization plays a role.”

“That makes sense,” Gansey said, nodding along. He turned his head to look at her and saw that all her blankets were now gone, leaving her bare legs in full-view. He swallowed the lump at his throat and promptly turned his attention to the screen. 

“Will you please hand me a yogurt cup?” She asked him. He obliged and she turned the cup around, making a face. “You got the kind with the fruit in the bottom.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, though he really wasn’t. He would probably never admit it, but he always loved that she gave him the left-over fruit, just as she did five minutes later. He scraped the blueberries at the bottom, not even caring about her illness.

Fifteen minutes later, however, his care returned.

Blue shuffled around in the bed, her stomach flipping and churning like before. Realizing what was about to happen, she climbed over Gansey and ran off to the bathroom.

Gansey, who had only seen a blur of grey and skin, looked at the empty doorway, confused. The movie still played out on the screen. He would’ve gone after her, but her home was a labyrinth that was easy to get lost in.

She returned in ten minutes, her face white and her teeth brushed for the second time. She crawled back into bed and lay on her stomach with her face in her pillow. 

“Blue?” Gansey whispered, placing his hand on her back. She whimpered, the sound muffled by her pillow. When she finally lifted her head, concern was filling his eyes. 

“I hate this,” Blue said, her own eyes filling with tears. She knew it was silly to cry, but she felt so bad. Her body was betraying her, and she had no control over anything. She just wanted it to end.

Gansey pulled her close to him. This was off limits, and both of them knew that, but she was sick and crying and needed the comfort. He petted her hair soothingly. “I know, I know. It’ll be over soon, but you just have to be strong for now.”

The tears spilled from her eyes and soaked through his shirt, but he didn’t mind.

They remained like this-- her face buried in his chest, his hand on her hair-- for a while longer. The movie was finished by the time she pulled back. She sniffled, looking at the screen. Her face was now red and puffy as well as pale, but he didn’t say anything. She was still more beautiful than he could ever admit.

“Can we watch The Princess Bride now?” She asked, rubbing her eyes.

“Of course,” he said, exchanging the DVDs. Moments later, the little boy was chatting with his Grandfather and the story began.

As Westley and Princess Buttercup’s romance unfolded, Blue became cold once again. She piled blanket upon blanket over her body, but she was still shivering.

Princess Buttercup and her abductors had just landed on the island when Gansey looked at her and told her to come closer. He positioned himself so she could lay against him comfortably. He wrapped his arms around her and she lay her head on his chest, overwhelmed by his warmth and the scent of mint that always lingered on him. Then, they went back to watching the movie.

Blue didn’t shiver again.

On the screen, Westley and Buttercup had made it through the fire swamp to be met by Prince Humperdinck. Blue glanced up at Gansey, who was completely enthralled in the story. She smiled to herself and nestled to him. Her eyelids felt heavy, sleep so close.

In no time, she fell asleep, cuddled to him while the movie played. In his presence, with his arms wrapped around her, she felt safe and secure. She felt peace.

**Author's Note:**

> my adorable nerds :-)  
> hope you enjoyed! thanks for reading!!  
> 


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